Maine Sheltie Rescue has a Sheltie in foster care that has experienced sudden onset paralysis on May 6. (This means he has lost the use of his back legs.) Max is a 3 year old double merle that is deaf and sight impaired. He’s having all sorts of test done right now and the rescue is working hard on fund raising to cover his expenses.

Right now he needs extensive testing, physical therapy and maybe even a wheelchair, all of which will cost rescue between $1600 and $5000, depending on his needs. Max is not available for adoption at this time, since he needs a lot of physical therapy, and may need surgery. His foster mom says he’s an absolute sweetie.

Donations to help Max would be greatly appreciated.

KVSSC Rescue
P.O. Box 304
Palmyra, ME 04965

7 Responses to “Spare Change in Your Couch Cushions?”

Suzanne

He looks a lot like my Merlyn, who is also deaf (he was born that way). He came from a breeder who was perpetuating this by breeding him. We know of several other dogs who came from the same breeder but some are not deaf.

Bobbie

Tricia

I really, really wish I could… but my own vet bills in the last year have been astronomical. :(

In the 20+ years I’ve had them, I’ve had two Shelties temporarily paralyzed.

Mercedes had a spinal embolism and lost the use of front & rear legs for a few weeks ~ we didn’t think we’d get her to recover, but finally she started showing that she would; and she did… with daily physical therapy that the vet & I came up with, and that I conducted at home… although she remained unsteady as she walked for the rest of her life. She was a very happy girl, though; and lived another five+ years before crossing the bridge to a natural passing at 13 & 1/2 in 1999.

Camille had arthritis from bone spurs (I think that was the term) along her spine, one of which had apparently “broken loose” and it temporarily pinched off a nerve leaving her back end useless for a few days. Her prognosis was guarded, but her recovery ended up being rather quick and to really good mobility! I was advised, however, to not let her use stairs on her own, or fall down… and holding/carrying her was dangerous even, because any wrong move could make another bone spur break loose. I got her in & out of the house in a little “sled” I fashioned out of the bottom half of a dog crate, using a wheel-chair ramp. She died a few months later, when I found her one morning with a broken leg… x-rays showed bone cancer in her hip. It was not fixable, and I had to let her go that day in 2007. :*(

Kim

A similar thing happened to my maltese. The vets initally thought it was a herniated disc but ruled that out. They didn’t up doing a spinal tap and found she has a severe spinal infection. She was treated with two antibiotics, clindamycin and viceton, for several months. She regained 100% use of one leg and 85% of the other.